1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a terminal inserting guide assembly for reliably guiding a terminal into a connector housing, even a large-width-type terminal having a curved surface, while keeping the terminal in a stable horizontal position.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIGS. 6 to 9 show a terminal inserting guide assembly 21 that the same assignee as that of the present application disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 7-114969.
The terminal inserting guide assembly 21 is composed of a pair of openable and closable guide hooks 22, 23. In FIG. 6 (a rear view), the guide hook 22 on the right side of the figure has a vertical frame bar 24 having a substantially equilateral triangle shape in cross-section. Inside an intermediate portion of the frame bar 24, there is a terminal holding space 40 for inserting a terminal 8. Below the holding space 40, the guide hook 22 has a substantially wedge-shaped leading end 25. Further, the guide hook 22 has a substantially triangle-shaped, tapered upper guiding surface 26 positioned at an upper end of the holding space 40. The upper guiding surface 26 guides a top portion of a terminal 8 into a terminal accommodating chamber 28 of a connector housing 27 (FIG. 8). Each side portion 29 or 30 (FIG. 9) of the terminal 8 is guided along a side surface 31 or 32 of the pair of guide hooks 22, 23.
The other guide hook 23 has a frame bar 33 having a substantially right-angled-triangle shape in cross-section. The frame bar 33 includes a terminal guiding side projection 34 (FIG. 8) received in the holding space 40. The terminal side guiding projection 34 has an inside surface serving as a lateral guiding surface. The frame bar 33 has a fore end portion reduced in its longitudinal cross-sectional area. A fore end face 33a of the fore end portion abuts against a rear surface 24a of a frame bar 24 of the guide hook 22. At the same time, as shown in FIG. 8, a fore end 34a of the terminal side guiding projection 34 is in line with a fore end of the guide hook 22. Further, a leading end 35 of the other guide hook 23 abuts against and is aligned over an upper portion of the leading end 25. Thus, the guide hooks 22, 23 engage each other so as to be closed. In FIG. 8, a foot frame 36 is for preventing an electric wire 37 from passing too close to the guiding hooks 22, 23. In FIG. 6, a rear, tapered guiding surface 38 is for guiding the terminal 8.
First, the closed guide hooks 22, 23 are advanced from above, just in front of the connector housing 27. Next, the guide hooks 22, 23 are opened so that the terminal 8, as shown in FIG. 8, can be inserted therein after getting the electric wires 37, which have been inserted in the connector housing 27, out of the way. Getting upper or side electric wire 37 out of the way allows a terminal 8 to enter into a lower terminal accommodating chamber 28. This also enables the terminal 8 to freely enter into a given terminal accommodating chamber. A leading end of the terminal 8 is preliminarily inserted into the chamber 28 by fore and aft, feeding, holding hooks 38, 39, respectively. Then, the whole terminal 8 is finally inserted by the aft hook 39.
However, in the previously known terminal inserting guide assembly 21, as shown in FIG. 9, a large-width, curved-surface type terminal 8 is inserted into a terminal accommodating chamber. The terminal 8 is about 8 mm in its lateral width and has a pair of semicircular-shaped, curved surfaces 17, 18. In such cases, as illustrated by an imaginary line in FIG. 6, the terminal 8 may be inclined laterally, because only the curved surface 18 is contacting the upper guiding surface 26 of the guide hook 22. In the worst case scenario, the terminal 8 cannot enter into the connector housing 27. This has been the drawback in the previously known terminal inserting guide assembly 21.